Before the April Showers
by Hold-Your-Hippogriffs
Summary: Sequel to 'One Night Stand'. Set two years later. Follows Ron and Hermione's relationship, their wish to start their family, and finally marry. RHr. HG.
1. Chapter 1

**Before the April Showers**

**Author's Note **Well, here it is, the sequel to 'One Night Stand', just like I promised. If I'm being perfectly honest, I do not think that my words and sentences flow as easily as they did in ONS. But, with school starting in three days, I don't have the time to rewrite 4 chapters (yes, I have 4 chapters already written; can you believe it?) and still get the first chapter posted this month. And, although I do have the first 4 written, don't expect updates one after the other. As much as I would like to do that, my school year is very packed (first semester including two college classes and an SAT prep (which I'm taking this year, obviously) and second semester filled with the rest of my academics that I do not excel in), so I need chapters pre-written to have in the likely case that I won't be able to write very often. Haha. MS Word is telling me that sentence is too long. Woot for long sentences! Please be patient with my updates. I promise I will get them up whenever possible. Until then, enjoy!

Oh, and a special thanks to my wonderful best friend, Justine, for helping me get started. Without her, you wouldn't be getting this.

**Disclaimer** Harry Potter and all related characters and themes belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The door was cracked slightly. I could barely see through the dim light, but next to me, Ron slept soundly. I shook him gently. He didn't stir. I almost groaned, but I reminded myself that I should be used to it-- after all, Ron was a very heavy sleeper. The issue at hand was that I'd heard a noise, and naturally, I was scared. He was my fiancé. He was supposed to protect me. I shook him harder and he snorted. _How sexy_, I thought sardonically. I heard the noise again. It was a knocking sound, almost like someone pounding on our front door. I glanced at the alarm clock out of the corner of my eye. It was almost three in the morning; it seemed very unlikely that someone would be at our door this early. I slapped Ron on the arm hard and surprisingly he roused. His eyes half-open, he grunted.

"Wha...?" I had the blankets pulled up to my chin as I spoke.

"I heard something." Ron yawned widely.

"So go see what it is." I scoffed.

"Me? You're the male, you go." Ron buried his head under the pillow, pulling some of the blankets with him.

"Ugh... 'Mione..."

"Please?" With a small sigh, Ron tossed the blankets aside and rose from the bed.

"Stupid bloody women," he muttered as he left. I sat still, waiting in the darkness, tense and alert. I heard the noise again, and the front door opened. Then, muffled voices. Gathering my courage, I got up and slowly crept to the bedroom door.

"S'okay," I heard Ron say. Someone was with him, I realized. I peered around the corner, and was startled to see Ginny. She was clutching a purple night bag to her chest, her eyes wide and scared.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Harry and I got in a huge fight... And I didn't know where else to go." I heard Ron chuckle.

"All right, all right. You can sleep here tonight." I chose that time to enter the living room. Ginny's head snapped to me when I spoke.

"Late, isn't it?" I asked, a small smile on my lips. Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, 'Mione, this is our scary noise." His tone came off as agitated and irritable. Lately, things had been this way. He and I had been fighting over the smallest things, things that we normally would have pushed away.

"Well, excuse me for being cautious," I replied tersely, folding my arms across my chest.

"Maybe I should go to Mum's," Ginny muttered, heading to the door.

"No!" Ron and I both shouted.

"Okay, okay," Ginny replied, throwing her night bag onto the couch. "Seems like I'm not the only one having relationship troubles," she remarked under her breath. Ron hadn't heard her; he was already making his way back to bed, mumbling about work in the morning. I gave her a stern look and joined her on the couch.

"So, what's up?"

"I dunno. Usual arguing, I suppose."

"Which is?" I implied.

"I don't really know what started it, actually," Ginny answered, sighing. "We've been fighting since early afternoon. And, I just couldn't take it, so I walked out."

"You can't keep walking out on him every time you have a disagreement," I reprimanded.

"I know," Ginny said curtly. "It's just-- I don't know what else to do. Harry can be so difficult sometimes. I love him with all my heart, but often times I find myself wondering if it's all worth it."

"Well," I started, standing. I walked to the hallway closet and pulled out an extra pillow and some blankets. Handing them to Ginny, I sighed. "You see how Ron and I are. You just got a small dosage five minutes ago. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the same thoughts from time to time, but--" I paused. Ginny looked up from spreading the blanket across the couch and gave me a questioning look. I smiled weakly. "I look at everything I've gone through and realize that no matter how bad things get, I could never give any of this up." Ginny nodded, smiling.

"Remember when you asked me if I was sorry I wasn't having a baby?"

I smirked. "Yeah."

"Kind of reminds me of this. Only the roles are switched."

"Well, what are friends for?" Ginny laughed and threw her arms around me.

"Thanks, Mione."

"No problem." I pulled away and started toward the hallway. "Goodnight, Gin. See you in the morning."

"Night," Ginny answered, and with that, I hit the light switch, leaving the room filled with darkness.

* * *

"Has anyone seen my other shoe?" a distressed Ron called the next morning.

"Have you checked your closet?" Ginny asked incoherently; she was standing in the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth.

Mornings in our house could only be described as pure chaos, and that was when Ginny hadn't spent the night on our couch. With her here, things were ten times as hectic. With only one bathroom, and four people needing to leave the house no later then eight made things complicated. It didn't help that I woke late and Ginny had beaten me to the bathroom. Being forced to wait, and already running fifteen minutes late, I had to skip my shower and simply threw my hair into a messy bun. My shift at St. Mungo's started at eight fifteen, and since it was slowly approaching eight o'clock, I couldn't be bothered to perform an anti-wrinkle charm on my uniform. I was currently standing in the kitchen, pouring cereal into a small bowl.

"No, Gin," Ron remarked sarcastically. "I didn't think of that!"

"Look in the living room!" I directed, pulling the milk from the icebox.

"I did!" he replied, agitated. I shook my head.

"Daddy choo," a small voice said happily. I turned around and a smile formed on my lips. I placed the bowl of cheerios on the tray of the highchair. Bending down, I picked up Ron's shoe and called him into the kitchen.

"Thank God," he said, balancing on his left foot while putting the missing shoe on the other. "Where'd you find it?"

"Thank your son," I replied, ruffling Aiden's red curls.

"I shoulda known," Ron stated, shaking his head. "Well, then, I'm off," he added, kissing Aiden on the forehead. He placed a kiss on my cheek next and said, "I love you."

"Love you, too," I replied, and watched as he made his way to the fire. "Bye, Gin!" he shouted, before disappearing in the flames.

Shortly after Aiden's birth, Ron had decided to become an Auror. The training, which took three years to complete, was hard work and didn't pay much money. That small factor made the first year of our relationship rough. I was in school, getting my medical degree, and working part-time as a waitress at a Muggle pub in Ottery St. Catchpole. Ron's Auror training kept him busy; he wasn't able to hold down another job. With what little money we made, we were barely supporting ourselves and Aiden. Unfortunately, we weren't able to move out of the Burrow until after I graduated and got a full-time job at St. Mungo's. It took a few months of saving almost every penny, but we were finally able to move into a place of our own. Granted, a small place (only two bedrooms and one bathroom) and renting doesn't have many luxuries. But, everyone has to start somewhere.

"Ginny," I called. "You're gonna be late for class!" I took the half-eaten cereal from Aiden and threw it in the sick. Aiden was already wiggling out of the chair before I could take the tray away. He ran off down the hall yelling, "Aunt Gin, Aunt Gin". I laughed and started after him. Ginny had returned to the bathroom and she was hastily running a brush through her hair.

"Ugh," she sighed. "I look horrible."

"You do not," I replied, picking Aiden up. "Why are you stressing out anyway?"

"I have major test in Charms today." Ginny, who had debated over many career choices, had finally decided to go with her dream job and teach. Although, she still wasn't sure whether she wanted to teach Charms or Transfiguration. So, instead of making a final decision, she was majoring in both subjects. She said that whichever position was needed when she graduated, that was what she would teach.

"Didn't you study?" I asked, locating Aiden's bag in a corner.

"No. My mind was elsewhere," Ginny said, avoiding my eyes. I smiled knowingly and picked up the bag filled with various baby items.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine," I said reassuringly. "Besides, you were top of your Charms class during Hogwarts, and you're top of your Charms class now. Just keep your mind off of Harry and you won't get distracted." Ginny nodded and kissed Aiden's cheek.

"I suppose I better go, then. Thanks, Hermione. For everything."

I nodded and switched Aiden from one hip to the other. "Are you gonna stay again tonight?"

"Dunno. Depends, I guess." She started out of the bathroom. "Although, once Mum gets word that we had a fight, she'll either demand we 'kiss and make up' or that I stay at the Burrow. Sorta wish I didn't have to go over there tonight. But, Charlie would kill me if I missed Anna's birthday."

"No, he wouldn't."

"Yeah, he would," Ginny insisted and I rolled my eyes. By that time, we had reached the kitchen and Ginny handed me the pot of Floo Powder. "Listen, when you drop Aiden off at Mum's, don't tell her I came over last night. Maybe Harry and I'll have chance to work this out before Mum can interfere." I agreed and Ginny threw her handful of powder into the fireplace. "See you tonight," she said as the flames turned green.

"Good luck," I said as she disappeared. I grabbed my bag from the kitchen counter, and with the posture that only a mother has, balanced both mine and Aiden's bags, my file folders, and Aiden in one arm, threw Floo Powder into the now orange flames, and called out my destination, ready to start the day.

* * *

**Author's Note** Well, there it is. Chapter one of 'Before the April Showers'. Hope you enjoyed. It's a slow beginning, but… yeah. Anyways, please review. It would certainly make starting school a much happier experience. Chapter two will be out once I finish writing chapter five! Thank you much! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Before the April Showers**

**Author's Note** Beware, I didn't do a second proofread, so if you find any mistakes, I'm sorry. Apologies for the month wait, but I warned you last chapter not to expect them that often. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers. I love you guys so much. I honestly don't know how much writing I would dowithout your support. And to answer **Wickedly-Wondeful**'s question, this is roughly 2 years after 'One Night Stand'.

Oh, yeah, I have a shitty mouse. :-P

**Disclaimer** Harry Potter equals JKR's.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"So, what's up with you and Ginny?" I muttered that night at dinner.

"Nothing," Harry replied, picking up a biscuit.

"And that's why she showed up on our doorstep at three in the morning, is it?"

"We had an argument. Nothing serious. Really, Hermione," Harry added, seeing my questioning look. "We'll work it out. We always do."

"Yeah, you do," I agreed. "But, Harry, you are always fighting!"

"Not nearly as often as you and Ron," Harry bit back. _Ouch_. As if on cue, Ron spoke up from across the table.

"Pass the potatoes," he said, swallowing whatever had been in his mouth. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and sighed. I picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and practically shoved them into Ron's outstretched hand.

"See?" Harry said, emphasizing his point. I glared at him and turned my head towards the head of the table, where Mrs. Weasley's was scooping more vegetables onto her grandchildren's plates. Every one of them was protesting, looks of pure dislike on their small faces.

"Eat up, Anna," I heard her say. "Even the birthday girl needs to eat her vegetables. You want to keep growing, don't you?" Little Anna nodded, and rather reluctantly brought a spoonful of peas to her mouth. I noticed Cade-- Fred's two and a half-year-old son-- and Aiden trying to put their own peas on to the other's plate. Mrs. Weasley saw this and as punishment, added another spoonful to each of their already large helpings. The look of disgust on Aiden's face could rival that of Ron's when I tried to get him to lay off the sweets and eat healthier.

"Look, Grandmum," Bill's five year old step-daughter, Hannah, started, "_I've_ finished my peas." Her younger cousins gave her looks of loathing as Mrs. Weasley praised her. Hannah beamed. "When can we have cake?" she added.

"Soon, dear, soon."

"This food is absolutely delicious, Mum," Charlie's wife Holly said from the other side of the table.

"It is," I agreed, smiling. "I don't think I've had a meal this good since the last time we were here."

"That's because you can't cook," Ron mumbled. My head snapped to my fiancé. His mouth was open in a small 'O' as if he hadn't meant to say that aloud. His next statement proved that. "I didn't mean that!" Of course, by then, it was too late.

"Well, _Ronald_, at least I can turn on a stove without burning something!" I yelled. Another one of our infamous rows had began; we had everyone's undivided attention.

"At least it still tastes like something recognizable. That crap you make doesn't deserve to be called food!"

I stood and threw my napkin onto the table, mouth open to retort. He was not going to win this one. But, before another word could escape my lips, Mrs. Weasley was on her feet too.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled. "Hermione, sit down. Ron, don't insult Hermione's cooking. It's not that bad," she added as an afterthought, but I knew she didn't mean it. "We will not fight tonight. Is that understood?" Ron and I nodded sheepishly. Even as adults, we still cowered under Mrs. Weasley glare. "It is Anna's birthday, and therefore a time to celebrate. Fight at home, not here." I nodded again, staring at my plate. _Oh, if only she knew_, I thought bitterly. _That's all Ron and I do when we're together._

Ron and I did not acknowledge each other for the rest of the night. In fact, we stayed in separate rooms. I was so mad at him that I ended up leaving early. I collected Aiden from Fred and George's old room-- which had at one time been Aiden's room, but was now the playroom. Then, I went to find Ginny, to see if she was staying with Ron and I again.

"No," she said when I finally found her.

"Staying here?"

"No, Harry and I made up."

"But-- but--" I stumbled over my words, confused. "You were still avoiding each other less than two hours ago!"

"I know," she said, a slight blush creeping along her cheeks. "He apologized and said he'd make it up to me tonight." She giggled and I sighed.

"I wish Ron and I could work out our problems just as easily." Ginny patted my shoulder sympathetically and I went off to say goodbye to everyone else.

"Ron's a prat, but he loves you," Harry told me, putting his arms around me.

"I know," I said, smiling weakly.

"He's just a bit stressed. You know, with work and all. Give him some time."

"Stop making excuses for him, Harry. Work may be a part of it, but that's not it. We've changed. Simple as that," I said sadly. "We've changed," I repeated as I stepped into the fire, Aiden clinging to my neck tightly.

* * *

When Ron asked me a second time to marry him, I had been ecstatic. After a year of establishing our relationship and settling down, I felt as if we were finally ready. Ron and I were so giddy over the thought of marriage, we started planning our wedding right away. We'd picked out the hall, the colors, and even made out a guest list. But, then, Ron's Auror training became more demanding, and I had started working longer shifts at the hospital that left no time to plan a wedding ceremony. When we did get a moment of peace, we were both too exhausted to even think about marriage, and we had to put our plans on hold. Two months ago, though, we had sat down together in hopes of finalizing details and picking a date. The wedding in question was scheduled for April 6, 2001, and there was over one hundred people on the guest list. But, with the way our relationship was headed at the moment, I didn't think that was going to happen. 

Ron had come home an hour after I did, an irritated look in his eyes. Obviously, he wasn't ready to forgive and forget either. I had been sitting at the desk in our room, going over some medical records for the patients I was tending to. He didn't say anything to me when he came into the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed, not even looking my way. I ignored him, scribing notes onto the margins of my papers. After an hour of silence, in which I knew Ron was not asleep, I stood from the chair and walked over to the bed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, placing my hand on his exposed shoulder. He flinched and did not speak. Sadly, I pulled my hand away, but repeated, "Ron, I'm sorry." He grunted and I sighed. I left the room and made my way into the bathroom, not knowing how to feel. I was furious with his behavior, of course, but hurt all the same. What was happening to us?

Ron and I had always been an odd pair, even as friends. It was such an improbable friendship, that I was certain Harry alone had been what kept us together. We were always at each other's throats, bickering about such silly things. I think the most ridiculous row we had ever had was over what color toilet paper would be best in the prefect's bathroom. When I had become pregnant, Ron and I were connected by much more than friendship. Slowly but surely, we were able to set aside our differences and realize our true feelings for each other. And, for awhile, we were the perfect couple. We rarely fought and got along great, even without Harry around to keep us in line. But, now, our differences were once again coming to surface.

Still fuming, but a bit calmer, I returned to the bedroom and changed into my pajamas. Ron still wasn't asleep, but I wasn't sure if I should try apologizing again. He was at fault, too; it was his turn to say sorry. My side of the bed was cold as I climbed under the covers. Ron was as far away from me as he could get without falling off the bed. Realizing that we weren't going to get anywhere tonight, I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. But, my thoughts of our relationship and upcoming marriage kept reeling through my mind. _Were we really ready for this? _After fifteen minutes of mulling over our differences, I turned and came face to face with Ron.

His eyes were open, and he seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't even notice I had turned around. My eyes focused on his, and instantly I remembered why I had fallen in love with him, git if there ever was one. Before I knew what was happening, I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. This seemed to snap Ron out of whatever thoughts he was having and he looked at me in shock.

"I thought you were mad at me," he muttered, making to turn away from me. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"I apologized," I reminded him.

"That's not always enough, Hermione," he snapped, glaring at me. I looked at him questioningly.

"I didn't even start this!" I protested, looking at him accusingly.

"That's not that point," Ron said evenly, sitting up. I followed suit, my gaze never leaving his. Ron refused to look away, obviously hoping to make me back down.

"Of course that's the point!" I was shouting, but trying my best to be quiet about it. The last thing I needed was for Aiden to wake up to his parent's fighting. "I wouldn't have any reason to argue with you if you didn't start something."

"You'd find something," Ron growled. "You're always pointing out my flaws, hoping to start a row."

"Oh, that's RICH!" That time, I couldn't keep my voice down. By now, I was out of the bed, arms folded across my chest. "I know what you're trying to say though. You're trying to blame _me_ for _your_ faults."

"I-- I--" Ron sputtered. "YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH!" he roared.

"NO! I'M JUST TWISTING THE WORDS COMING OUT OF IT!"I bellowed. No sooner were the words out of mouth when I heard a small voice from behind me. Slowly, I turned, only to see the worried looked on Aiden's tiny face. My heart sank. Sending one last look at Ron, I took Aiden into my arms and left the room. I heard Ron call out that it wasn't over just as I closed the door to Aiden's room. Instantly, all of my attention was on him.

There were tears forming behind Aiden's eyes as I tried to soothe him. "It's okay, honey," I muttered, running my hand over his hair. He placed his head on my shoulder and began to cry. Very carefully, I sat down on the bed, holding Aiden close. "Everything's fine. Mummy and Daddy were just having a disagreement," I told him, knowing full well he didn't really understand what I was saying. The only thing he knew was that he heard yelling, and Mummy was very mad at Daddy. It took the better part of the hour to calm him, and when he finally fell asleep, I didn't leave him. If I returned to my own room, there was a good chance Ron and I would fight again. I didn't have enough emotional strength to keep bickering. I, myself, was on the verge of tears.

It was becoming slowly apparent that mine and Ron's relationship-- and soon to be marriage-- was not going to last without some extra effort. If we really wanted it to work, if we really wanted to be together, we would have to drop our pride. Being in love left no room for one's pride. Committing yourself to someone meant you had to look passed the other's faults. Right now, all I _could_ see were Ron's faults. Every single one of them seemed to be written across his face. There was no real trace of the Ron I loved when I looked into his face. He just wasn't himself. That wasn't my fault.

_But, _a voice said, _have you been yourself lately?_ That voice would be the death of me. No, I hadn't been myself. With Ginny's own problems added to mine, I was working overtime with the advice. And work wasn't much help. I was only a meager mediwitch, busting my ass to become a Healer. I was supposed to start a six week long course starting in November to receive my Healing license, and I still hadn't told Ron of the staggering tuition fees. I was worried that he would tell me that we couldn't afford for me to go. That, I knew, would only start another fight. This was my dream. Nothing was going to stop me from becoming a Healer, not even Ron.

And, then, there was Ron's Auror training. Harry's words had been lingering in my head since I had arrived home. Something was stressing Ron out, yet he hadn't felt the need to confide in me. I thought he knew he could tell me anything. Harry obviously knew what it was, but I wondered if he was just as stressed. He didn't seem to be, but he didn't have a fiancée or a child. He did have Ginny, and she could be just as bad. But, whatever it was, it either didn't affect him as much as it did Ron, or it just didn't pertain to him period. Maybe it wasn't work at all; maybe that was just Harry's cover up. Was Ron stressing about our marriage and having second thoughts?

Before I knew it, the tears were flowing.

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**Author's Note** Chapter 3 may be out within the month, but I'm not promising anything. **ALSO, I HAVE STARTED A PUBLIC LIVEJOURNAL FOR MY FANFICTION.** I plan to make entries on my stories' progress, that way you guys know what is going on. The URL is www. livejournal. com / users / hldurhippogrffs/ just **Remove the spaces.** The link is also on my author's page. The userinfo and links to my stories isn't finished, but I should have that all taken care of within the week. In the meantime, check it out, keep reading, and REVIEW. 


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